


Live Fast, Die Old ficlets

by rivlee



Series: Live Fast, Die Old [18]
Category: Spartacus Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Made Families, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-02
Updated: 2015-04-02
Packaged: 2018-03-20 23:12:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3668727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rivlee/pseuds/rivlee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Various ficlets set in this 'verse that don't fit into the posted stories.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Frei Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From a request on tumblr. Originally posted April 4, 2015.

Auctus just didn’t get it. Duro had no problem with Barca. He had an actual close friendship with Castus. It didn’t make any sense that out of all of the men Auctus once slept with, it would be fucking _Rhaskos_ who would set off the legendary Frei-jealousy. Auctus was still in shock as he stared at the door of Bleat Beats where Duro had just exited stage left, pursued by his brother.

“What the fuck?” he asked. “What the actual fuck?”

Nasir, with little Hani balanced in his lap, looked up from the comic book he was flipping through. “Yeah, they do that sometimes.”

“It’s Rhaskos. I don’t even like the guy. I didn’t like him when we fucked all of nearly twenty years ago. What the fuck was that?”

“The thing is,” Nasir said as he put _Spider-Gwen_ to the side, “you have to understand it’s not really about you.”

“Really?” Auctus asked. “Because Duro doesn’t normally call me _an asshole of Antarctic proportions_ just because it’s a Thursday.”

“He does with love though,” Nasir said. He laughed at Auctus. “Seriously, it’s not really about you. Duro loves and trusts you and your relationship. He knows, and you know, there’s no cheating or lying going on. It’s that self-worth thing. You know how the Frei brothers are; they never do anything quietly, up to and including self-doubt.”

Auctus was so confused. Rhaskos was still a bouncer, still living alone, and pretty much stuck in the same place he was fifteen years ago when Barca and Auctus were on a break and Duro was still a kid. Duro, on the other hand, helped run a successful store, was now legally bound with Auctus, and they had Moose, their homes, and their sprawling collective family. The Duro that had just marched out the door was similar to the one that ran away all those years ago.

Nasir kissed the top of Hani’s head and murmured into the soft, dark curls, “Your Uncle Duro’s being a jackass.”

“His first sentence is going to contain five curse words,” Auctus warned. He gave in and sat down beside him. Hani immediately grabbed for the leather cords on his wrist. “I thought Duro was mostly past all that.”

“We all have good and bad days,” Nasir said. “I think it’s more who Rhaskos was with when Duro found him, and let’s face it, few of us want to meet the ex’s. You and Barca are just weird and I don’t know about you and Castus, but yeah. Rhaskos was with Glaber.”

“Fuck,” Auctus said.

“Fuck!” Hani joyfully exclaimed as the bells on the store’s door rang.

“Told you,” Agron said to Duro. He held his hand out as his brother growled and slapped a $20 into his palm. Agron grinned at them and kneeled down to grab up Hani. “Who wants to go help Papa in the office? All those hi-liters you can get on that ugly-ass shirt your Daddy bought.”

“Who doesn’t like little kids dressed as sailors?” Nasir asked.

“Little kids who become big kids and wonder why their Papa let their Daddy dress them as sailors,” Agron said as he walked into the office, Nasir following behind him.

Duro watched them go with a hand gripping onto the curls at the back of his neck. He waited until the office door closed before he met Auctus’ gaze.

“So yeah, I’m the asshole of Antarctic proportions, I know that. It was just…to see Rhaskos with him, and then to have that asshole talk about you, and me, right there in front of a bunch of strangers and just—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. It’s not about you. I remain a perpetual fuck-up.”

Auctus held a hand out to Duro and pulled him down to sit beside him. He rested his head on Duro’s shoulder and gripped his kneecap in his own tight, possessive hold. He didn’t like to think about Glaber and his past with Duro, and in the same situation Auctus was pretty sure he’d currently be at the jailhouse facing a charge of assault, because there’s no way he would’ve let Glaber’s taunts about Duro pass without a fist to his jaw.

“You’re my perpetual fuck-up, for always,” Auctus said.

“Promise?”

“I promise.


	2. Pure Americana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gannicus, Ilithyia, and a road trip. Originally posted Jan, 20, 2013

Ilithyia looked at the corndog in front of her with disdain. She glared at Gannicus, for the third time in as many seconds. 

“When your promised me a whirlwind adventure far from the trappings of my luxurious life and my asshole of a husband, this is not what I had in mind. I can smell the cows, Gannicus, and it does not please me.”

Gannicus was far too engrossed in his funnel cake to listen to her. She did the only polite thing she could and stomped on his foot.

“Ilithyia! fuck! What is it?”

“We could be in Italy right now and you’ve taken me to a county fair in the middle of New York dairy farm country,” she said.

Gannicus pushed his plate over to her. “I think you need some of this, princess. Perhaps it will help that temper. Look, we appreciate the deep fried delights our country has to offer before we hit the rest of the world. You said you wanted to escape without Glaber’s notice, well, where’s the first place he’d guess you go? I promise you it’s not Upstate New York.”

Ilithyia did not like to concede points or lose arguments. She took a large bite of the funnel cake instead and refused to answer. None of her society friends back in Boston would _ever_ hear of this part of her Great Adventure. She ignored Gannicus' laughed as she took another bite of the funnel cake, even as she frowned at the powdered sugar. Honestly, if her father could see her now, there would be words. 

She smiled and took a third bite.


	3. Pup and Grump Share a Bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crixus, Duro, and platonic bedsharing. From a tumblr request. Originally posted Feb. 13, 2015

The thing about doing your friends a favor was that sometimes you ended up sharing a bed in a crappy motel with said friend’s kind of asshole boyfriend, because they could only get two rooms, and somehow Duro ended up in bed with Crixus because Saxa was only willing to share a bed with Naevia.

Honestly Duro had only kicked Saxa out of bed once in their lives. Granted, it was off the top bunk and she rolled into a dresser once she hit the floor, but it wasn’t like Duro did it on purpose. It was wrong to hold him accountable for something he did when he was ten. 

It certainly wasn’t worth the punishment of nearly getting kicked in the balls by a guy who could pick Duro up with one hand.

"Did you just whine?" Crixus asked. He shoved a pillow in Duro’s face. "Are you a whiny puppy now."

"I wouldn’t have to be if you’d just stay on your own goddamned side. How are you taking up three-quarters of this bed. You’re not even that tall," Duro said. He pulled hard on the comforter and felt a thrill of victory when he had the whole thing.

"Fine by me if you keep it," Crixus said. "My mother used to clean hotels. I know how often that shit doesn’t get washed. Notice I never touched it. You can have it, Frei."

"Yeah?" Duro asked as he sat up. He felt around in the dark for something to chuck at Crixus’ head. "Why don’t I shove it up your—"

"Boys!" Naevia yelled. Actually yelled. Naevia hardly ever yelled. "Some of us are trying to fucking sleep." She flipped the light on and glared at them both.

Saxus just growled at them before pulling her eye mask back down.

"Either learn to share a bed like civil adults or you can both sleep on the floor, and I’m sure it’s ten thousand times more disgusting than the comforter," Naevia said. "Now are you going to listen to me or do I need to get some pre-schoolers in here to show you how to properly share with your neighbor?"

"We’ll be good," Duro said. He gallantly placed part of the comforter back over Crixus’ sheet covered legs. "Sharing is caring."

"You’re messed up, pup," Crixus said.


	4. Agron and Duro being co-dependent siblings of fail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just what the title says. For my darling Ray. Posted May 29, 2013.

There was much rejoicing going on in the baggage claim area of Logan, full of hugs, cheek kisses, and one man jumping on another. It wasn’t a solider returning home, or separated-by-distance lovers reuniting. No, it was the Frei brothers meeting again after two weeks apart.

"He’s never greeted me like that," Auctus sighed.

Nasir patted his shoulder, pleased with how tanned and relaxed they both looked after their trip to Italy. “Just imagine what he’s going to do with he sees Moose.”

Auctus may have whimpered, but Nasir was too busy being distracted by Agron giving his grown baby brother a piggyback ride. He shook his head. “This is worse than when we got back from our honeymoon.”

Auctus groaned as he pulled their bags off the belt. “I have a feeling there’s going to be a sleepover on my living room floor.”

"I’ve already put the air mattresses out," Nasir agreed.


	5. A Little RISK

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nasir comes upon the sleeping Frei brothers and the aftermath of a game. Originally posted July 2014.

Nasir was very, very quiet as he crept back into the house. He had to duck out into the backyard to muffle his laughter after what he’d found on the living room floor. He needed to gather his composure. Photographic evidence was required. The world needed to see. Nasir grabbed his phone off the kitchen counter and peered around the corner. Sure enough, the whole gang was still there.

Agron was asleep on the floor with Duro, the marathon game of RISK finally taking both brothers down. They were curled into each other with half the plastic armies of the board game knocked over. That alone would’ve warranted it’s own picture. The five cats curled up over Agron like he was their only personal mattress made it even better. Mort licking Agron’s hair made it golden. Moose sleeping on top of Duro’s head? That just made it priceless.

Nasir took approximately twenty pictures as he perched on the couch. He had sent at least two images each to their circle of friends and family when Agron woke up. He always snorted like a pig when he struggled awake, and Nasir stopped wondering just why that charmed him still.

"Nasir?" he asked, drawing his name out with a line of zzzzzz's

Nasir carefully detached Mort from his hair and kissed Agron’s forehead. “Go back to sleep,” he said.

“‘kay,” Agron replied. He pulled himself off he floor, ignoring the indignant yowls of felines, and arranged himself over the couch. His head was in Nasir’s lap and he curled back up.

"Better?" Nasir asked.

"Best," he said.


End file.
